A Cliché Multiverse Story

Flu sucks :(

***

The news of the War Game spread like wildfire all over Orario. The gods, who hadn't attended or weren't qualified to attend the Denatus, were in the dark about Asahi's secret. Susanoo was among them as he only got to know that a War Game would be held in two days. Ganesha needed that time to clear the colosseum, and the deities needed that time to advertise the War Game for maximum

The deities ran around Labyrinth City, jubilant and high-spirited. As Orario severely lacked sources of entertainment, the War Game became the topic of discussion around every street as well as the Guild. Of course, there were those who scorned and ridiculed Asahi for picking a fight like this. Astraea's popularity with Orario made them dislike Asahi. Many thought that she deserved better than a man with numerous lovers.

That night, Loki was staring at the bottle of alcohol on her table. Riveria frowned at the odd sight. Finn blinked his eyes, refusing to believe the image his eyes registered.

"Loki, why are you spacing out?" Riveria asked.

"Nothin'."

Loki left the dining room and took a sip of her drink in her room. The sweet mead only gave a bland taste after Asahi had thoroughly violated her mouth with his tongue, that too in front of the gods. She finally realized how the girls in her Familia must have felt when she harassed them.

'It was just a kiss.'

Everything she felt right now could just be a fleeting interest. Loki never got interested in the love and marriage stuff. Stirring up trouble was more fun than worrying about someone else.

'Still, a crush on Asahi is so unexpected.'

Loki couldn't help but grin at her 'unusual' preference. Asahi already had plenty of lovers devoted to him, especially her friend Astraea. She found him attractive to the point she stopped having any thoughts for other people!

'What am I gonna do about it?'

Loki pulled out another bottle of booze and went to the roof. Sitting at the edge of the tower, she gazed at the moon and drank.

'I need to seduce him.'

Having thick skin helped a lot in these situations. She couldn't possibly be embarrassed for having feelings for her friend's man.

***

The next day, Freya conducted a city-wide search for Allen, whose existence had been forgotten by Asahi. The young man with cat ears was rotting in a dark room, his stomach growling intensely and his throat dry. Aimi delivered Allen to Freya's doorstep with a note stating Allen's mistake.

Riveria and Ais came to the lessons as usual. The high elf and the blonde loli didn't bring up the matter of the War Game, showing no concern whatsoever about Asahi's wellbeing. He might have been heartbroken if not for Ais's affection points reaching almost 84 and Riveria's sitting at 76. Then again, they didn't know that Asahi was going to fight alone in the War Game.

"Asahi, is the game set in stone now?" asked Ryuu, who was sitting comfortably on the bed of grass. "I'd like to participate alongside you."

"Do you doubt my ability?" Asahi asked. "You have no confidence in me. I'm kinda hurt."

"No… how can I do that after seeing you fight?"

"I need compensation for my emotional damage."

Before Ryuu could say a word, Asahi pulled her into a hug and leaned back against a tree. The elf's sharp ears gently shook, tempting him to get a taste. Ryuu felt his lips nibbling her ears and couldn't help but moan.

"W-What are you doing?" She was taken aback by his boldness. "Stop…"

Despite her pleas, she wasn't doing anything to stop him as if she wasn't against the idea of being intimate with him.

"Why are you so dishonest with your heart?" Asahi whispered, squeezing Ryuu's petite body in his arms. "Alise had more courage than you."

Alise had gotten bold to the point where she began to kiss him naturally without blushing. Compared to that, Ryuu was indeed a coward. Kaguya, on the other hand, seemed to be lying in wait like a veteran predator.

"I'm not a coward," Ryuu said, giving Asahi her most serious frown ever. "I don't want to leech off you for the rest of my life…"

She would be taking advantage of Asahi if she gave in to her feelings now. She couldn't just forget her 'debts' and start a relationship. Her pride wouldn't allow her to do such.

"Give me some time," Ryuu said as she pushed him back. "I want to be assured of my own worth before taking another step forward."

Asahi touched her cheeks, almost giving in to the urge to kiss her. A dry cough or two from Riveria brought the two back into the real world.

"You should do it at home," Riveria said, an edge in her voice. "Ais is here."

Even though Riveria had covered Ais' eyes as soon as the obscenity began taking place, she found it hard to watch a couple getting intimate. She recalled the time Asahi hugged her and shook her head.

'Playboy.'

Ryuu gave a glance at Riveria's annoyed expression. "Harem protagonist…"

Asahi blinked his eyes. "Who taught you that word?"

"Shiori," Ryuu replied. "It's an apt word for you."

"Yes, I am a harem protagonist," he proudly admitted.

"..."

***

Asahi returned home to find a guest waiting for him at the door. A young woman wearing the waitress dress of the Hostess of Fertility. She kept her bluish-grey hair tied with a small knot in a ponytail style. She stood there with an innocent, lovely smile.

"Syr!" Ryuu shouted and dashed into Syr's arms. "Where have you been? We were searching for you everywhere."

Syr raised her arm and patted Ryuu's back. Ryuu's worries failed to evoke anything in Syr's eyes. Despite meeting her a few times in the past, he had met her a couple of times but he never noticed the signs. Her scent was all too familiar. She carried Freya's scent all over her without having a scent of her own. He couldn't mistake Freya's scent after spending a night in her home.

'She is Freya?!'

Syr's lips curled into a grin as if she realized her cover had been blown.

"I left Orario for a job," Syr said, returning to her 'normal' self. "I'm back now. Stop being a baby please."

Ryuu lightly hit Syr's stomach. "You're the kid who ran away from home."

"I look after children, and looking after children is an adult's job. So I'm not a baby."

Syr's snappy retort left Ryuu speechless. Asahi was intently observing her interaction with Ryuu. Her friendship with Ryuu seemed too genuine as though it wasn't an act.

Syr giggled as she pushed Ryuu and nodded at Asahi. "We haven't seen each other for a while, and you have grown more charming. A maiden can only have so much control."

"Syr!"

"Hehe, I apologize for teasing your lover. Seriously, you should lock him in a room, or one day a goddess will come and snatch him from you."

Ryuu touched Syr's nose with her fist. "I-I'll break that goddess' nose…"

"..."

"Alise would say something like that." Ryuu giggled. "Did you hear the news?"

"I sure did," Syr smirked. "Mister Asahi is going to fight the King… I wish you luck from the bottom of my heart."

Her acting skills were on another level. She could bless him with a straight face even though both of them knew Syr's real identity. Syr Flova was Freya in disguise.

'Why is she doing this?'

Syr and Ryuu had been friends before he came into the equation. The insane Freya will try to use this friendship against him. That could very well be the reason she showed up at his doorstep.

'What a twisted woman.'

(Indeed.... She excels in playing with emotions.)

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